DANGLER
Well-known member
Saturday was miserable weather wise in central MT, and everyone else in camp decided to sleep in. I wasn't super stoked to go get drenched all morning in high winds and not be able to see or hear anything, but I drug my butt out of bet and gave it a shot. The first several hours of the morning were as expected, with no bugles heard.... but I did slip on a three pack of spikes. The wet conditions and wind noise allowed me to slip inside 50 yards three different times on that group, but I just couldn't bring myself to punch a tag on a spike this early... no matter how delicious they are.
By about 8:30 a warm cup of coffee and an omelette at camp were calling my name, and I started my hike back to the truck. As I crested the ridge, just above where I was parked, I spotted a nice 5 point shed laying on a bench and made my way over to pick it up. I was actually feeling pretty good about finding that shed and the morning not being a total loss, when I heard a half-hearted bugle a couple of ridges over, AWAY from the warm truck and the promise of breakfast.
Well, I sucked it up, and turned around to investigate the source of said bugle. It didn't take me long to get over to where I thought it had come from, and when I peaked over the ridge into that bowl, I immediately spotted a raghorn 5x5 in the bottom and 3 spikes higher on the hill side. While I still wasn't ready to punch my tag on a spike, I figured that 5x5 would fit in my freezer just perfectly. I stashed my shed in a bush, and got set up to call. I figured I had a good shot of calling that young bull up the hill to me, so I got setup and hit the cow call. Before I was even done with that first series of cow calls, a deep, loud, and agitated bugle came from just 90 yards behind the little knob I was hiding beside on top of the ridge. I knew he was close, and the wind was perfect for me to just drop behind the ridge and sneak around the knob and peak over. I thought for sure if I could make that move 60 yards in his direction, that I would have slam dunk shot when I got there, so I belly crawled back out of sight of the raghorn and spikes and went for it.
Before I could even make it the 60 yards, I heard another big agitated bugle and then............ CRASH!!!!!! It knew instantly what was going on, as another big bull had burst onto the seen and was now in full out combat with the original bull. As I peaked around the knob, I could see a big 7x7 and a heavy beamed 6x6 locked up in what looked like a fight for life and death. They were only 40 yards away, but they were seriously getting after it, and crashing through, behind and over the little pine trees that covered the big flat top ridge. I kept trying to get a range on them, and at times they were as close as 15 yards, and just as quickly one would push the other out past 70 yards. During one of their runs away from me, I knew they were oblivious to my presence, so I got a big tree between us and made a run in their direction, and got right in the middle of the battle field. Just as I tucked in next to a small pine, the raghorn and 3 spikes came storming up the hill to see the commotion. The two big bulls continued to beat the crap out of each other, covering some serious ground and full on demolishing tons of trees in their path. All the while I am ranging them in every opening hoping they will stop and give me a shot. Not only did they not stop, they became actually locked up together for what seemed like forever. As you can imagine in a situation like this 30 seconds feels like and eternity, and I can tell you that this whole thing just kept going on and on... I don't think I am exaggerating when I say they were locked up together for a full 7 or 8 minutes... and maybe even longer. As the fight went on and on, i kept slipping in closer and closer, as at this point the rumble had covered like 100 yards of that ridge top. It was pretty amusing to watch the little 5x5's reaction to the big fight. He kept circling the two big bulls, like a ref orbiting a pair of MMA fighters. The little guy would get so worked up, he would kick both hind legs in the air like a mule, piss all over himself and then do what could only be described as shadow boxing, where he would swing his antlers around and mimic the big guys.
I thought for sure this was all too good to be true, and that the bulls would eventually split leaving me with no shot.... Honestly I couldn't believe what I was seeing and in 25 years of chasing elk with a bow, this was BY FAR the most amazing thing I have ever laid eyes on. The fight had gone on so long both bulls were grunting, groaning and huffing and puffing like a fat kid in P.E. class..... They were so exhausted that at different times both of them ended up on their backs with their feet in the air, while the other laid the wood to them. I could see blood from the ears and necks of both bulls. Keep in mind it is absolutely pissing down rain, and mud is flying everywhere, and I am tucked in for a front row seat about 20 yards from the action.
Finally, after what seemed like forever they paused very briefly with their antlers still locked up..... the big 7x7 was quartering away slightly, so I settled my pin and let it fly. Just as I triggered my release the big 6x6 lunged forward and spun the 7x7 and the arrow caught him through the hind quarter at way to much of an angle to be called a good shot. Now I was in panic mode, trying to get another arrow on the string and get another shot on him. I was able to get another arrow nocked and ranged them again, but they just kept on battling like nothing had happened and wouldn't stop again to let me get a second shot in. Maybe 1 minute after that first errant shot was released, they finally became unlocked and the big 7x7 pushed the 6x6 off the edge of the ridge, and he took off running towards the bottom. As the 7x7 was catching his breath watching the 6x6 run directly away, I literally ran right at him in the wide open to 15 yards and put one in the 10 ring.
He rumbled down the steep hillside to the valley below, where I watched him tip over and expire........ I was an absolute wreck! I have seen some pretty cool crap out in the woods and been to some amazing places. Heck I have even hunted grizzly bears with a sharp stick, but nothing has EVER gotten me as worked up as those 10 amazing minutes in the elk woods.
While not a true monster, the bull ended up being as pretty of a 7x7 as a guy could hope for.....
Kind of bummed to be tagged out already, as the rut is just heating up, but with lots of friends with tags left to fill, I can only hope to get back into the mix with these awesome critters.
By about 8:30 a warm cup of coffee and an omelette at camp were calling my name, and I started my hike back to the truck. As I crested the ridge, just above where I was parked, I spotted a nice 5 point shed laying on a bench and made my way over to pick it up. I was actually feeling pretty good about finding that shed and the morning not being a total loss, when I heard a half-hearted bugle a couple of ridges over, AWAY from the warm truck and the promise of breakfast.
Well, I sucked it up, and turned around to investigate the source of said bugle. It didn't take me long to get over to where I thought it had come from, and when I peaked over the ridge into that bowl, I immediately spotted a raghorn 5x5 in the bottom and 3 spikes higher on the hill side. While I still wasn't ready to punch my tag on a spike, I figured that 5x5 would fit in my freezer just perfectly. I stashed my shed in a bush, and got set up to call. I figured I had a good shot of calling that young bull up the hill to me, so I got setup and hit the cow call. Before I was even done with that first series of cow calls, a deep, loud, and agitated bugle came from just 90 yards behind the little knob I was hiding beside on top of the ridge. I knew he was close, and the wind was perfect for me to just drop behind the ridge and sneak around the knob and peak over. I thought for sure if I could make that move 60 yards in his direction, that I would have slam dunk shot when I got there, so I belly crawled back out of sight of the raghorn and spikes and went for it.
Before I could even make it the 60 yards, I heard another big agitated bugle and then............ CRASH!!!!!! It knew instantly what was going on, as another big bull had burst onto the seen and was now in full out combat with the original bull. As I peaked around the knob, I could see a big 7x7 and a heavy beamed 6x6 locked up in what looked like a fight for life and death. They were only 40 yards away, but they were seriously getting after it, and crashing through, behind and over the little pine trees that covered the big flat top ridge. I kept trying to get a range on them, and at times they were as close as 15 yards, and just as quickly one would push the other out past 70 yards. During one of their runs away from me, I knew they were oblivious to my presence, so I got a big tree between us and made a run in their direction, and got right in the middle of the battle field. Just as I tucked in next to a small pine, the raghorn and 3 spikes came storming up the hill to see the commotion. The two big bulls continued to beat the crap out of each other, covering some serious ground and full on demolishing tons of trees in their path. All the while I am ranging them in every opening hoping they will stop and give me a shot. Not only did they not stop, they became actually locked up together for what seemed like forever. As you can imagine in a situation like this 30 seconds feels like and eternity, and I can tell you that this whole thing just kept going on and on... I don't think I am exaggerating when I say they were locked up together for a full 7 or 8 minutes... and maybe even longer. As the fight went on and on, i kept slipping in closer and closer, as at this point the rumble had covered like 100 yards of that ridge top. It was pretty amusing to watch the little 5x5's reaction to the big fight. He kept circling the two big bulls, like a ref orbiting a pair of MMA fighters. The little guy would get so worked up, he would kick both hind legs in the air like a mule, piss all over himself and then do what could only be described as shadow boxing, where he would swing his antlers around and mimic the big guys.
I thought for sure this was all too good to be true, and that the bulls would eventually split leaving me with no shot.... Honestly I couldn't believe what I was seeing and in 25 years of chasing elk with a bow, this was BY FAR the most amazing thing I have ever laid eyes on. The fight had gone on so long both bulls were grunting, groaning and huffing and puffing like a fat kid in P.E. class..... They were so exhausted that at different times both of them ended up on their backs with their feet in the air, while the other laid the wood to them. I could see blood from the ears and necks of both bulls. Keep in mind it is absolutely pissing down rain, and mud is flying everywhere, and I am tucked in for a front row seat about 20 yards from the action.
Finally, after what seemed like forever they paused very briefly with their antlers still locked up..... the big 7x7 was quartering away slightly, so I settled my pin and let it fly. Just as I triggered my release the big 6x6 lunged forward and spun the 7x7 and the arrow caught him through the hind quarter at way to much of an angle to be called a good shot. Now I was in panic mode, trying to get another arrow on the string and get another shot on him. I was able to get another arrow nocked and ranged them again, but they just kept on battling like nothing had happened and wouldn't stop again to let me get a second shot in. Maybe 1 minute after that first errant shot was released, they finally became unlocked and the big 7x7 pushed the 6x6 off the edge of the ridge, and he took off running towards the bottom. As the 7x7 was catching his breath watching the 6x6 run directly away, I literally ran right at him in the wide open to 15 yards and put one in the 10 ring.
He rumbled down the steep hillside to the valley below, where I watched him tip over and expire........ I was an absolute wreck! I have seen some pretty cool crap out in the woods and been to some amazing places. Heck I have even hunted grizzly bears with a sharp stick, but nothing has EVER gotten me as worked up as those 10 amazing minutes in the elk woods.
While not a true monster, the bull ended up being as pretty of a 7x7 as a guy could hope for.....
Kind of bummed to be tagged out already, as the rut is just heating up, but with lots of friends with tags left to fill, I can only hope to get back into the mix with these awesome critters.
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